“Jinfei, apologize to President Shen.” The old man patted the boy’s head while the latter harrumphed and looked away.
“Why do I need to apologize to President Shen? I did nothing wrong, Grandpa,” Liu Jinfei said in defiance.
“President Shen, I apologize for my grandson’s behavior.” President Liu smiled at Shen Yi.
“No harm was done, President Liu. Although I’m surprised to see you and Liu Jinfei here,” Shen Yi replied.
“You see, our Jinfei really likes your wife, President Shen.” The old man explained, “He kept bugging us to bring him to watch Madam Shen’s cooking battle.”
“Zichen, who is he?” Shen Yuyan whispered to his twin brother.
“What ‘Zichen’? I’m older than you. You should call me Gege.” Shen Zichen scowled back.
“What? That’s not fair! You came out ten minutes before me, but that doesn’t mean I should listen to you.”
Shen Yi pinched the bridge of his nose and sighed deeply. Why did these children choose to bicker now?
On the other side of the audience stood Tian Lingyu and Huang Shenghao. Their attention fixed on Lu Xinyi’s plate. Huang Shenghao took a side glance at his friend, trying to see his reaction over Lu Xinyi’s performance today.
“What’s wrong with your sister? Is she not in the right mood to compete with Ye Xieren?” he asked, noticing how Tian Lingyu’s brows drew together in a confused expression.
As if sensing his gaze upon her, Lu Xinyi lifted her eyes and met her brother’s. Her mouth tightened when she looked up to see a familiar face.
“Something must have happened,” Tian Lingyu replied. With Shen Yi and the twins’ presence within the stadium, this only meant that it was probably related to the Sun family again. He was starting to get irritated by the fact that they wouldn’t leave Lu Xinyi alone.
“Well, she must pull herself together, or else she will lose to Ye Xieren today.”
Tian Lingyu scoffed at his friend’s words. “Not going to happen.”
Back in the cooking battle, Huo Meili took the limelight again and asked the staff of the academy to present the last challenge for today’s cooking battle.
“Since Mr. Ye won the second round, we are now entering the last round for this cooking battle! For the last challenge, our respective judges have come to the decision for the two of you to recreate this cla.s.sic j.a.panese bento box to a modern one that will suit the taste of this generation. A piece of advice from your senior though…” She winked at Ye Xieren and Lu Xinyi.
“The dish you are about to prepare and serve has several tricky components on it. As the two of you know, every component should complement the other and should showcase your ability in the kitchen.”
Lu Xinyi eyed the black bento box placed on her counter. It was the typical bento box being sold at j.a.panese restaurants. As to how she would be able to recreate it, she wasn’t sure. Opposite to her, Ye Xieren grinned. This bento box looked so simple yet complex at the same time.
The tray was divided into smaller portions. At the upper right, there were three pieces of salmon sus.h.i.+ topped with black sesame seeds. Below them sat a beautiful swirl of yakisoba noodles with wagyu beef on top. The center presented some fried vegetable and shrimp tempura accompanied by a perfectly marinated tofu.
“If you want to secure the win for this round, I suggest you pay attention to the seasoning as it would be critical.” Huo Meili continued, “You’ll only have one hour to recreate this dish. So please, students, get back to your counters and start cooking! Your one hour starts now!”
Neither of the two moved, but Ye Xieren was the one to break the silence between them. He called out Lu Xinyi’s name to get her attention.
“Lu Xinyi, if you don’t take my challenge seriously and lose today, I will never forgive you!”
With her left arm folded below her chest and supporting her right elbow, Lu Xinyi rested her chin on her right hand, a bemused smile crossing her lips.
“Oh, do you think you’ll be able to beat me now?”
Indeed, her attention and mind weren’t truly on this cooking battle, but since Ye Xieren asked her to take him seriously, she thought that it would be bad to lose her seat just because she cooked half-heartedly today.
“You can’t beat me in my own game, Lu Xinyi!”
“Don’t blame me if you lose again today.” Her mouth twisted into an irresistibly devastating grin before turning her back to start working, leaving her challenger speechless. The smile in her eyes contained such a sensuous flame that her husband was familiar with.
Sun Ruying had sought her for Qiushan’s whereabouts in exchange for the truth behind her mother’s death. Since then, a seed of doubt was engraved in her heart, making her lose focus on what’s in her hand. Her worries started to emerge from nothingness, disturbing her peace.
Was she afraid to hear the truth? Would it change her perception of everything she knew? Lu Xinyi knew in her heart that her parents’ sudden death wasn’t as simple as it seemed. Closing her eyes, Lu Xinyi forced herself to calm down and pushed her worries out of her mind. She’d been distracted since the start of this cooking battle, and she could not afford to lose her seat.
As the two started working on their kitchen counters, Huang Shenghao leaned against the railing and observed their skills.
“I don’t think your sister will easily let Ye Xieren win today, although I must admit Ye Xieren has the greater advantage in this cooking battle.”
Tian Lingyu shook his head and followed his friend’s sight.
“If she can tackle the basics, I don’t think she’ll lose this round. Ye Xieren is a.s.sertive, forcing himself to achieve perfection while Xinxin always takes a direct approach and pays less attention to her plating, something she really needs to improve. There is an equal amount of pressure on both of them as people have already set expectations on them.”
The three judges also watched the students attentively.
“What do you think? Lu Xinyi has just started to work on her rice,” He Haotian asked Qin Jiahao. The man snorted beside him and looked away.
“You taught her, didn’t you? Rice would be the strongest point on this challenge. It has to be washed thoroughly, getting rid of all starches before cooking. This is the foundation of any great sus.h.i.+,” he commented while Lu Xinyi washed her rice for the third time until the water was clear.
After the rice was ready and left to cook, she poured in the oil in a huge pan to warm it up then she started was.h.i.+ng and cutting her vegetables to be cooked.
“I have to commend your apprentice though; he’s quite a fast worker,” He Haotian said amusedly.
“Of course, I trained him myself. Xieren knew his way in the kitchen. I can’t ask for a better student than him.”
“That’s because you haven’t met my apprentice. Lu Xinyi’s absolute tongue and attention to detail are her biggest a.s.sets,” The two-star Michelin bragged, infuriating his friend further.
“You…” The vein on Qin Jiahao’s forehead was starting to swell. “Don’t tell me you gave her a crash course before this cooking battle?” If there’s something he knew about He Haotian and Lu Sibai, it’s that they’d never go into a cooking battle unprepared.
“I didn’t,” He Haotian replied, “I did bring her to Kawas.h.i.+ma-san to train though.”
Kawas.h.i.+ma?! Did he bring Lu Xinyi to Kawas.h.i.+ma Tohaku to train? Chef Qin thought. No wonder He Haotian was confident that Lu Xinyi would win today.
“Don’t forget our bet, ah?” He Haotian reminded him.
“I know! I know!” Chef Qin waved a hand at him, annoyed knowing that Lu Sibai’s daughter had beaten his nephew.
“What bet?” Han Zhiling, who had been silent throughout their conversation, asked.
“Ah, we place a bet between our apprentices. Whoever loses today will have to promote the winner’s restaurant for the whole month.”